Were the pilgrims English

Well, the Word "pilgrim" is actually a term used to describe anyone who goes on a pilgrimage, or a long journey to a place of historic/religious significance.

However, I assume that you are talking about the Pilgrims who came to settle at the Plymouth Colony of what is today Plymouth, Massachusetts in the United States. Yes, these settlers originated in England. They initially chose to leave England and settle in the Netherlands, but because many of them were concerned that they would lose their cultural identity, they moved again to the New World to find religious tolerance.